Boat Ride
by lazypadawan
Summary: A between-the-reels vignette from "Attack of the Clones," when Anakin and Padmé set out for the lake retreat.


Boat Ride

by lazypadawan

The time had come for their departure to the lake country retreat where Padmé—Senator Amidala—planned to remain in hiding for an indeterminable amount of time.

From a tactical standpoint, Anakin still didn't like the idea very much. The location might be isolated and difficult to reach; after all Padmé had told him they would have to take an old-fashioned boat instead of a speeder to get there. But far too many people knew where they were going: the queen and her court, Padmé's entire family, servants, guards, and so forth. All Padmé's would-be assassins would have to do is get to any one of them. But she seemed to think the assassination attempts were meant to keep her away from Coruscant and as long as she wasn't there, the danger was lessened. Anakin wasn't so sure.

But it was an opportunity to stay a little longer on this beautiful world, where it seemed like it was always a sunny spring day, fragrant with blooming flowers and grass. He relished being on his own mission. Moreover, he relished being with Padmé. If nothing else, he was grateful for the opportunity to be alone with her.

Even if it meant having to travel with her luggage. Apparently she'd never heard of the term "packing light." He finished unloading the luggage onto a second canoe that would travel separately with Artoo to the retreat. He then stood by and waited for Padmé to say goodbye to her family.

After hugging Padmé, her father walked over to Anakin and shook his hand. "Take care of my little girl," he said.

"I will, Sir, you have my word on that," Anakin said. Then Padmé walked toward him, the dress she wore now swirling around her body like a rainbow cloud. Anakin hadn't seen her since breakfast, when she wore a simple dressing gown. Anakin stood by and waited until she joined him at the dock, then they walked together to the canoe that would transport them to this retreat.

Anakin then got an eyeful of his charge's bare back. He quickly averted his eyes, hoping she hadn't noticed him looking at her. "It's such a beautiful day, isn't it? Nice and warm," she said, beaming at him.

"Yes it is," he said. Was she doing this on purpose? For someone determined to keep this all business, she sure had an affection for wearing alluring outfits.

When they reached the canoe, Padmé turned one last time to wave at her family. He could see her back again and the flood of un-Jedi-like thoughts made him blush. Anakin caught a glance of Padmé's older sister, who seemed to have a knowing grin on her face.

Anakin got into the canoe first, then held out his hand as Padmé lifted her skirt to her ankles. She gave him her hand as she got into the boat. He had to admire her balance, even in the rather complicated dress and heeled shoes. She seated herself then he settled in front of her, and once the coordinates were set, the canoe set off.

As beautiful as the lakes and rivers were, he wished she sat in front of him to get the most beautiful view of them all. Her nearness to him was dizzying.

"So, how did you like meeting my family?" Padmé asked. "I hope they didn't scare you too much."

"No, of course not," Anakin said, looking over his shoulder back at her. "You have a great family. I can tell they love you very much."

"I know," Padmé said a bit wistfully. "They miss me and I miss them. It's just so strange because I've more or less been on my own since I became Princess of Theed. In many ways, I can relate to the Jedi, taken from their families to be part of something bigger, to live a life of service to others."

Anakin looked back at Padmé and nodded. He couldn't tell her about the nightmares that haunted him recently. Padmé could at least come home and see her loved ones. Anakin could not.

Padmé gave him an understanding smile then started to talk about some of the villages and castles they could see from the lake. She chatted about the retreat they were going to. It was hundreds of years old, it had once been the home of someone famous who disappeared centuries ago and of course, there were rumors about ghosts. They could see it coming up in the distance.

"It doesn't look scary to me," Anakin said. "In fact it looks quite…beautiful." He'd paused, almost saying the word "romantic" because to him, that's exactly how the villa perched by the lake appeared. Though he wasn't sure how the word "beautiful" would go over with Padmé either. For the first time on the trip, he was relieved he wasn't facing her and she wasn't seeing him blush.

"Wait until I show you around," Padmé said. If anything he said perturbed her, her voice didn't betray it. "It's quite an amazing place."

"I look forward to it."

Th' End


End file.
